Older Hen Is Looking Odd

[MarshyRooster]

Hi. I'm not sure if this is actually something to worry about, but one of the pair of old hens of my flock is looking weird. Her head looks like the neck is barely there, and her face is grayish, her tail feathers look messy and there's a bit of blood on her comb. She's also been in the coop for most of today, even when I gave the birds grass with my dad. Does she sound like she's okay?

 

[casportpony]

It's not fowl pox, it's almost certainly not blackhead either. The blood on her comb is probably from your other chickens pecking her.
Have you checked her for lice and mites?
Has she ever been de-wormed?
How much does she weigh?
Has she lost weight?

 

[Mutchi]

Yay! ! I'm going to keep an eye on her, though. If she needs help, she'll get it (my dad will let me take her to a vet, I believe, after a bad experience with a duck. The duck is okay, but seriously upset) immediately. Thanks!

Ok take care of your hen!

 

[LaFleche]

Does it sound like my hen is in trouble?

Together we can try to find out.

Does she eat and drink?
And where in the coop did she spent her day, in a nesting box?
Does she make clucking sounds?

 

[Mutchi]

Your welcome, and yes it's probably fine

 

[LaFleche]

A greyish face is not normal, so you better get a closer look in case she is suffering from an injury or poultry mites (bloodsucking kind) or lice.

Some more information would be helpful:

• How old is she?
• When did you last deworm your chickens?
• What exactly do you feed them?
• Do you have a rooster/cockerel?
• How does her crop feel (hard or rather soft and squishy or inflated like a balloon)?
• How does her poop look?
• When did she last lay an egg?

 

[Mutchi]

Can we see pictures?

 

[MarshyRooster]

I'm not sure if I can get pictures on here. I can try on my mom's computer, but it still probably won't work . I'll try though. Does it sound like my hen is in trouble?

 

[Mutchi]

I don't know but I does sound odd...

 

[MarshyRooster]

I haven't seen her leave the coop at all today. I haven't been checking on her specially before I noticed, which was today, so I don't really know when/if she's been leaving lately.

In the nesting box, probably. She stopped laying a while ago, but she sits on the eggs a lot.

And I don't think she was clucking, but when I noticed all the birds were being pretty loud, because they were all eating grass out in the run, including the other older hen. But the hen that looks odd just poked her head out and went back in the coop. Is that worrying?

Thank you, I'm going to do the pictures in a few minutes. I want to make sure she's okay. She's very special.